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My Daughter shows the signs of rad sometimes and sometimes she doesn't. I know it is hard to diagnois.
The social workers never even mentioned it as a possiblity. She has only been with us for five months. I hope as time goes on it will get better. Once again I am so glad to have found this forum.

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Well, for starters it's not an all or nothing thing. Attachment is a continuum and people fall at various places. It's quite likely your child has attachment issues even if she's not RAD. A qualified attachment therapist could assess this.

I would recommend getting Nancy Thomas DVD's to look at to help set up a parenting situation that would help facilitate healthy attachment. This will help but does not replace the need for therapy.

i just got back from a rad conference. you need to read, read, read. rad is hard to diagnose and it is not an all or nothing. if they have some symptoms then they have some attachment problems. get a good attachment therapist and do all you can to heal your child. believe me, typical parenting doesnt help with these kids, so get some professional help!

Usually, only a qualified attachment therapist can very accurately diagnose an attachment disorder or RAD. It is very common for RAD children to appear 'normal' in attachment at various times. They learn to acclimate to the situation at hand, if they don't feel pressed to attach at all. This is why some RAD children can seem 'quite lovely and well-behaved' while in school, but can literally be tearing the doors from the hinges and raging at home'. It's also why some people 'on the outside' have a hard time realizing that a particular child actually is a horror to live with.

Find an attachment therapist. As time goes on, if s/he has real attachment issues, 'they' will---very often--NOT get better on their own. I would highly recommend an excellent website for resources and a very good forum of other parents of attachment disorders and RAD. This is the Attachment Disorder Support Group homepage:

I also have to disagree with lucyjoy. Rad is not all or nothing. It varies from day to day - from minute to minute - from situation to situation. It all depends on how the situation is making the child feel...and if the child is feeling something than that is most likely when the are going to act out.
Rad has a HUGE scale. While most foster children have attachment issues - all are not RAD. My fkids have been diagnosed with mild rad...and let me tell you by talking with other parents there is a HUGE difference from being mild rad to severly rad..no two kids are the same...no two experiences are the same - so how they react can be so different. It also has a lot to do with the makeup and personality of the child and if they want to heal.
The sw are definately going to stay away from this topic - this I have learned from experience. Until I got the official diagnosis during the TPR trial - they all looked at me like I was crazy when I would tell them about something that happened. Now I get some respect - and it seems like all of a sudden they are very knowlegeable about this...it just took somebody with initials after their name to say it instead of me. We are finally on the way to healing...easier said than done - and some strange things really can set this attachment process back a year - but we are struggling along and getting there.
The best advice I can give you is to read everything you can - go to the ADSG.org web site - follow your instincts and get a good Attachment therapist. Other types of therapy just tends to play into the children learning how to get better at maniuplation and triagulation. IT doesn't work...

Not sure how you interpreted my post but I did not say RAD was all or nothing. I said attachment is on a continuum.

Also, while a child may not act out their feelings everyday, RAD doesn't come and go. Yes, children react differently according to their make up, thier interest in healing, and how severely they are affected by their early life circumstances. Not sure what you're disagreeing with.